Jan Halvor Halvorsen has been hired as an assistant coach of the Red Bulls under Hans Backe.

Halvorsen replaces Goran Aral, who left after the 2010 season.

The 45-year-old Halvorsen has coached in Norway and Sweden since 1996, and steered Sogndal to an eighth-place finish in the Norwegian Premier League in 2003. The former defender played in Germany and Denmark from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s.

The Red Bulls had a 15-9-6 Major League Soccer record and qualified for the playoffs last year after winning just five MLS games in 2009. New York lost in the conference semifinals to San Jose.